Teresiah is an environmental and human rights advocate from Mithini in Murang’a County, she has been actively championing the rights of her community, particularly in relation to land injustices. Her unwavering efforts to protect local land rights and challenge unlawful practices have made her a prominent figure in the struggle for environmental justice. However, her activism has come at a significant personal cost—she has faced repeated harassment, including arrests and baseless legal accusations, seemingly intended to intimidate and silence her. Despite these challenges, Teresiah continues to stand firm in her commitment to defending her community’s land and environmental rights.
Case Details:
Teresia Kanini Muli was arrested on Friday 16 of October 2020. She spent the weekend of 17th and 18th of October 2020 at Makuyu Police Station. We went to the Station on Monday the 19th and secured her release on a police bond of Kshs 20,000. We agreed with the Officer Commanding Station, OCS that Kanini be presented to Court for plea taking on the 26th day of October 2020.
When she was presented to the court on the 26th, we appeared on record for her and subsequent to her pleading not guilty, we pleaded for lenient bail terms given that she was also in criminal case Number 603 of 2020 where she is charged alongside side 4 other HRDs from Mithini with offenses ranging from malicious damage to property, incitement to violence creating disturbances and resisting arrest.
In criminal case number 603 of 2020 she and her co accused were released on free personal bond but the matter was subsequently dropped by the ODPP. In the criminal case, 737 of 2020, Kanini was charged with 4 counts. The counts range from threatening to kill, assault causing actual bodily harm, resisting arrest, and creating disturbances on the 13th day of October 2020 at Mithini village in Muranga South Sub County.
We appeared on record for her and pleaded for lenient bail terms but our plea was not successful because she is an accused person in case Number 603 of 2020 in the same court. She was however released on a cash bail of Kshs 50, 0000.
The prosecution called three witnesses and the case dragged on the 29th of February 2024 when the prosecution closed its case. On the 20th of August 2024, the magistrate acquitted Kanini under Section 210 of the Criminal Procedure Code. She is now free. The magistrate also ordered that the cash bail be returned to the depositor. The case took four years and we are happy that she was not put to her defense.
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